Now this is what I call a mod....

[Hertston]

One for motor racing fans, CTDP F1 2006 mod for R-Factor

Just came across this vid on Youtube; amazing stuff. I have R-Factor but have always tended to play the GT-R series instead; I'll certainly be reinstalling to try this. I wish I could play any race game this well!

[JudgeDredd]

I didn't know you were a GTR fan! I love GTR2...I also loved F1 until those b******s at Sony stole the rights and did bugger all with it! I wish game companies would be prevented form buying the sole rights...kind of against the ethos of competition which is part and parcel of the capitalist world! Obviously if you have enough money to "opt out" of that particular part of life, then it's ok!
 
Played EA F1 99-02 for a few years with various mods (wish I could remember their names...they made some great mods for each season)...eventually gave up in about 2005 or 06.
 
I have rFactor also...couldn't really get into the "fake" cars and "fake" tracks. I know there are lots of mods for it, but it was the mods, for me, that killed it. You could NEVER get on a server because you didn't have the right mod or didn't have the right version of the right mod! And rFactor online was where it shined.
 
Still....good luck m8.
 
And that racer on the vid...that was bizarre how he kept up with the Ferrari.

[hgilmer3]

Are their any current online F1 games?  True online where you can run a season?

[Valkyrie]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

I didn't know you were a GTR fan! I love GTR2...I also loved F1 until those b******s at Sony stole the rights and did bugger all with it! I wish game companies would be prevented form buying the sole rights...kind of against the ethos of competition which is part and parcel of the capitalist world! Obviously if you have enough money to "opt out" of that particular part of life, then it's ok!

Played EA F1 99-02 for a few years with various mods (wish I could remember their names...they made some great mods for each season)...eventually gave up in about 2005 or 06.

I have rFactor also...couldn't really get into the "fake" cars and "fake" tracks. I know there are lots of mods for it, but it was the mods, for me, that killed it. You could NEVER get on a server because you didn't have the right mod or didn't have the right version of the right mod! And rFactor online was where it shined.

Still....good luck m8.

And that racer on the vid...that was bizarre how he kept up with the Ferrari.

Judge, I would like to add a single racing sim to my stable, but I'm concerned about all the copy protection schemes and so forth. What would you recommend as a safe bet for a casual driver like myself who might like to take an occasional spin for a few laps while still being challenging enough for my sons to enjoy when they come around?

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm running XP64 with an AMD quad core 9850 processor, 8 gig DDR 1066 Ram and ATI HD4850 graphics (512 meg) so I can run anything at maxed out settings.

[JudgeDredd]

For single player...GTR2. The GTR series is famous and very very good. There is an "authentic" feel to the driving models. Of course, I haven't driven those cars in RL, but they just feel right. In GTR2 you can actually feel the car sliding from under you and because it gives you that feel, you have time to snap it back. I think it uses Securom for the protection which I've found non intrusive (that version at least)....certainly not Starforce. GTR2 is also very configurable, making it as authentic or as easy as you need to drive...so there's plenty for you and the kids. There are great "tutorials" in the game also...little races. Basically the tutorials take a track and split it into 3 sections. You then have to race the AI "ghost" car and out perform it to each section finish line...then you get to piece it all together and take the AI car on round the entire track. Whilst it isn't specifically teaching you how to drive, it is teaching you the track piecemeal and I still use it as a "track refreshment aid" before taking on the AI in the championship.
 
GTR2 will take you a few races to work out what AI level makes it difficult enough for you without making it impossible to win. I generally have it around 96, but I rarely do any practice except the tutorials to get me used to the track. One thing GTR2 does suffer from is you think you've found the level about right when you are qualifying in the top ten consistently, but not always first, then you hit the race and end up1st within 3 or 4 laps....the AI seems to be faster in qualifying than it is in the race. Whilst you expect that, it doesn't seem that you suffer such a penalty. So I've set the AI level so I am consistently outside the top 10....come race time, I have some good races.
 
The GT Legends was a great game but unfortunately it was protected by Starforce and I never playede it again after I found that out.
 
rFactor is a great game and is very moddable...literally hundreds of mods. But rFactors main strength is it's online code. If you were wanting to join an online league, rFactor would be the choice. They are generally very friendly and will help you install the various mods you need. Then you are open for some great fun online racing. Also, because it's an online league, they are very courteous...non smash and bash, making your online racing close, but sensible.
 
You may not be able to pick it up....it's about as rare as rocking horse pooh...but Papyrus Nascar Racing Season 2003 is an awesome game. Online never really worked...not because of anything else other than the racing is so close, literally bumper to bumper, that it always invariably ended in several spins.
 
I loved rFactor when I was online racing and you simply can't beat it...but you need to find a good online racing league (shouldn't be difficult...there are lots about), but once I left the online racing leagues (I just couldn't commit to the same time every weekend), I was immediately a GTR2 fan. The AI is good enough to give you a thrilling race...and it's refreshing to see the AI spin off the track just because it made an error!
 
So if it's an online mature league you want, rFactor
 
If it's a good single player game with reasonable AI, GTR2.
 
Nice system you have there!

[iaidoka2]

Funny, I have both RFactor and GTR2 and I think rFactor is the better sim - it just feels more real ot me than GTR2, even if GTR2 has weather.

But, I only play rFactor on my own or against my brother using Hamachi. The range of mods for rFactor is truly amazing. Have a look at rFactorcentral (use google - Ive had a few drinks and am not in a fit state to post links LOL).

[JudgeDredd]

Nothing funny about it...different strokes for different folks [:D]

[Valkyrie]

Just ordered GTR2, Amazon has it for 50% off right now.

Thanks for the advice

[JudgeDredd]

Well I hope you're not disappointed. I have always regarded the game as my premium game for offline racing.

[Valkyrie]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

Well I hope you're not disappointed. I have always regarded the game as my premium game for offline racing.

Hah... for $14.95 and free shipping.. how can I lose?